RESUMEN
The facilegreen synthesis techniqueis becoming more and more important, and it has been proposed as a potential substitute for chemical techniques. The current study describes a low-cost, environmentally friendly method for producing tungsten trioxide (WO3) and tantalum (Ta) doped WO3nanoparticles that uses 15 % (w/v) Azadirachta indica (Neem) leaf extract and different concentrations of Ta dopant (1 to 5 %) due to its well-matched ionic radius with WO3. Various techniques FESEM, TEM, EDX, BET, UV-Vis and PL, XRD, and FTIR were used to illustrate the morphological, elemental, optical, structural, and vibrational analysis of the synthesized nanoparticles respectively. Interestingly, the band gap was significantly reduced to 1.88 eV by the addition of a dopant element. For 3 % Ta/WO3, the average particle size was also reduced to 31.6 nm. The synthesized WO3nanoparticles employed in the current study have been used for photocatalytic activitypurposes. Methylene blue (MB), one of the principal water pollutants, was degraded more quickly by the synthesized Ta/WO3nanoparticles when exposed to UV radiation. Among them, 3 % Ta/WO3 gives significantly higher photodegradation 89 % attributed to the Burstein-Moss effect. The significant output of optimized nano-photocatalyst has been observed from the trapping experiment and reusability test. Furthermore, Zeta potential and TOC analysis have been taken to check the stability and mineralization performance. Additionally, the results of the simulation that was carried out using the finite element analysis approach in the RF module of COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a are quite similar to the experimental findings. This simulation method made it easier for readers to understand the numerous aspects of the photocatalytic process that has been discussed here.
RESUMEN
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy continues to be a widespread problem in Pakistan due to various conspiracy beliefs, myths and misconceptions. Since the hemodialysis population is at a higher risk of contracting infections, we sought to investigate the current COVID-19 immunization status and reasons for any vaccine hesitancy among these patients in Pakistan. This cross-sectional study was conducted among maintenance hemodialysis patients at six hospitals in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. Data were collected anonymously using a questionnaire. A total of 399 hemodialysis patients took part in the survey, the majority of them were male (56%) and aged 45-64 years. A calculated 62.4% of the patients reported receiving at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of those vaccinated (249), 73.5% had received two doses and 16.9% had received a booster dose. The most common reasons for vaccination were "being aware they were at high risk" (89.6%), "fear of getting infected" (89.2%) and "willingness to fight against COVID-19-pandemic" (83.9%). Of the 150 patients who had not yet been vaccinated, only 10 showed a willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The major reasons for refusal included "COVID-19 is not a real problem" (75%), the "corona vaccine is a conspiracy (72.1%)" and "I don't need the vaccine" (60.7%). Our study revealed that only 62% patients receiving hemodialysis were partially or completely vaccinated against COVID-19. Consequently, there is a need to initiate aggressive approaches to educate this high-risk population in order to address their concerns with vaccine safety and efficacy as well as correct current myths and misconceptions to improve the COVID-19 immunization status in this population.
